Richard L. "Rich" Anderson (born May 30, 1955) is an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a b ...

. From 2010 through 2018 he served in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

, representing the 51st district in the Prince William County suburbs of Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Republican Party. Anderson lost his reelection bid in Virginia's November 2017 election. Since 2020, Anderson serves as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. Anderson chaired the House Committee on Science and Technology (2010–2017), and served on the House committees on Finance (2010–2017), General Laws (2010–2017), and Transportation (2012–2017).

Early life and career

Anderson was born in

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is ...

, and attended Northside High School there. He received a B.A. degree in political science from

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

in 1979. Anderson was commissioned in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

after graduation, serving as a nuclear missile operations officer in

Titan II The Titan II was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by the Glenn L. Martin Company from the earlier Titan I missile. Titan II was originally designed and used as an ICBM, but was later adapted as a medium-lift space la ...

and Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile units, as well as other command and staff positions. He received an M.A. in public administration from

Webster University Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. It offers undergraduate and graduate program ...

in 1982. He also attended the

Air War College The Air War College (AWC) is the senior Professional Military Education (PME) school of the U.S. Air Force. A part of the United States Air Force's Air University, AWC emphasizes the employment of air, space, and cyberspace in joint operati ...

Air Command and Staff College The Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate-level Professional Military Education (PME) school. It is a subordinate command of the Air Uni ...

and

Armed Forces Staff College The Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), located in Norfolk, Virginia, was established as the Armed Forces Staff College in 1946 and incorporated into the National Defense University in August 1981. It educates and acculturates joint and multinat ...

. He retired in 2009 in the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

. His wife, the former Ruth Valentine, also served in the U.S. Air Force for 21 years. Anderson joined the

Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded mem ...

(CAP) as a cadet in 1969, and has been a CAP member since then. He served as National Commander with the CAP rank of brigadier general August 1993 – August 1996, and was chairman of the CAP Board of Governors February 2011 – February 2013.

Political career

After his U.S. Air Force retirement, Anderson entered politics, gaining the Republican nomination for the Virginia House of Delegates 51st district in the 2009 election. He defeated first-term Democrat Paul F. Nichols by less than two percentage points. Anderson ran unopposed in 2011, and defeated Democrat Reed Heddleston by roughly 2,000 votes in 2013. In 2015, Anderson ran unopposed for re-election to his fourth term in office. Anderson was chair of the Virginia House Committee on Science and Technology.

Electoral history

After his U.S. Air Force retirement, Anderson entered politics, gaining the Republican nomination for the

51st district in the 2009 election. He defeated first-term Democrat Paul F. Nichols by less than two percentage points.

References

External links

* (campaign finance) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Richard 1955 births 21st-century American politicians Living people Republican Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates National Commanders of the Civil Air Patrol People from Woodbridge, Virginia Politicians from Roanoke, Virginia United States Air Force officers Virginia Tech alumni Webster University alumni Republican Party of Virginia chairs